Door hinging arrangement for vehicle bodies



July 2, 1963 H. s. BRETZNER DooR HINGING ARRANGEMENT FOR VEHICLE BODIES Filed March 18. 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. S. BRETZNER DOOR HINGING ARRANGEMENT FOR VEHICLE BODIES July 2, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 18, 1960 I N VEN T OR /z/d/zf f/grf/z//ar B Y ATTORNEY July 2, 1963 H; s. BRETZNER DOOR HINGING ARRANGEMENT FOR VEHICLE BODIES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 18. 1960 lower portion of the door.

United States Patent O 3,095,600 DOOR HINGING ARRANGEMENT FOR VEHICLE BODIES Haus S. Bretzner, Birmingham, Mich., assiguor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation f Delaware Filed Mar. 18, 1960, Ser. No. 15,919 3 Claims. (Cl. 16-163) rI'his invention relates to vehicle bodies and more particularly to door hinging arnangements for vehicle bodies.

In conventional practice, it is common to mount vehicle doors on the body by upper and lower hinge arms which are iixedly secured to the door and are pivotally mounted on the body for swinging movement about a generally fixed vertical axis. This conventional manner :of mounting vehicle doors on the body has several advantages but has certain disadvantages when used with vehicles having modern Sculptured body styling which may include one or more large ribs. With modern Sculptured body styling, there is a possibility that the front edge of the front door, for example, which swings outboard when the door moves to open position, will engage one of the large ribs on the adjacent rear portion of the front fender prior to the time that the door reaches open position to seriously limit exit and entrance room by preventing the door from moving to a fully open position.

The door hinging arrangement of this invention overcomes this disadvantage of conventional door hinging arrangements by bodily moving the door outboard of the body and simultaneously tilting the door outboard of the body about a horizontally disposed axis through the By thus bodily moving the door to an open position, the hinged edge of the door is moved outboard of the adjacent portion Iof the body so that there is no possibility of any interference or engagement therebetween, and by tilting the door outboard of the body, the entrance room is greatly increased. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the arrangement includes a pair o-f spaced lower hinge arms, each of which is pivoted on the body `for swinging movement about a generally vertical axis preferably tilted inboard of the body. The free end of each of the hinge arms is connected to the doo-r adjacent the lower edge portion thereofby ball and socket pivot connections whereby the door can be bodily moved to an opened position and at the same tim-e can Ibe tilted either inboard or outboard relative to the hinge arms about a generally horizontally disposed axis through the pivot connections. An upper actuating arm is provided to control the tilting move- `ment of the door relative to the lower hinge arms, with the actuating arm being pivoted both to the body and to the door adjacent the upper edge portion thereof by ball and socket connections so that the actuating arm is free to move in all directions relative to the body and to the door. The length of the actuating arm is ygreater than the length of either of the hinge arms, between the respective pivotal connections of each, whereby, when the door is moved to an open position, the door is bodily moved by the hinge arms and fat the same time is tilted outboard about the axis through the lower edge portion thereof by the actuating arm. Since the hinge arms swing about fixed vertical axes which are tilted irl-board of the body, the lower rear edge portion `of the door rises and falls as the door is moved between open and closed positions and at the same time the upper edge portion of the door also rises and falls and is further tilted or moved outboard relative to the body about the axis through the lower edge portion thereof.

The primary object vof this invention is to provide an improved vehicle body door hinging arrangement which will increase body entrance and exit room. Another (ICY object of this invention is to provide an improved vehicle body door -hinging arrangement which greatly increases lbody exit and entrance -roorn and permits the use of modern Sculptured body styling without any interference between the hinged edge of the door yand the adjacent body portion when the ydoor is 'moved between open and closed positions. A further object of this invention is to provide an improved vehicle body door hinging arrangement which bodily moves the door outboard of the body to an open position and `simultaneously tilts the door youtboard of the body about an axis through its lower edge portion to thereby greatly increase body entrance and exit room.

These 'and other objects of this invention will be readily apparent from t-hefollowing specification and drawings, wherein:

FIGURE l is a partial side elevational view of a vehicle body havin-g a front door mounted thereon by a door hinging arrangement according to this invention, with the door being shown in closed position;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, showing the door in open position;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by line Y4--4 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4, showing the door in open position;

FIGURE `6 is an enlarged view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 6-6 of FIGURE 3; yand lFIGURE 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 7-7 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now particularly to FIGURE l of the drawings, a vehicle body 10 includes a roof structure 12, a windshield 14, and a front `door 16 at each side thereof which is swingably mounted on the body for movement between open 'and closed positions by 4a door hinging arrangement accor-ding to this invention. As best shovm in FIGURES 1 through 3 -of the drawings, door 16 includes an outer panel 118 and ian inner panel 20. Panel 20 is generally coextensive with panel 18, except at the forward upper front corner thereof, and includes an integral later-ally extending rear end wall 21, bottom end -wall 22, front end wall 23, and an angular -front wall portion 24. Each wall and wal-l portion terminates in a lateral flange `25, with vflange 25 of walls 21, 22 and 23 hemmed to panel 18 by bending an edge portion 26 thereof over the llanges. A reinforcing plate 27 is provided iat the forward upper corner of panel l18, with plate `2.7 including an inter-mediate generally vertically extending offset 28. Plate 27 is hemmed to the router panel d8 at the upper and front side edge portions of the plate by bending the edge portion 26 of panel 18 thereover and is 'welded to panel 18 :at the bottom and rear `edge portions of the plate. The ilange 25 of wall portion 24 is welded to plate 27 and the olf-set 28 thereof.

A reinforcing plate 30 is located between panels 18 and 20, with plate 30 being generally of the `shape of panel 20 'and being provided with a laterally extending flange 32 at the rear, lower and front edge portions thereof which is secured to walls 21, 22 and 23` and wall portion 24.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES l through 3 of the drawings, the outer body panel 34 which forms the front fender and cowl panel of the body is provided with outwardly opening upper and lower generally channel-shaped offset portions 36 and 38, respectively. Offset portion 38 opens through the rear end lWall 40 of panel 34 and offset portion 36 continues through an offset extension 39 of panel 34 which ts within the space deiined by wall portion 24 when door 16 is in closed position. The ilanged rearward edge of extension 39 is secured to a flange of a similarly shaped extension 42 of an inner body panel 46. Panels 34 and 46 are further interconnected by a generally vertically extending offset channelshaped reinforcing member 48.

The door hinging arrangement of this invention generally includes a pair of lower hinge arms 50y and 52 which are pvoted on the body for swinging movement about fixed generally vertical aXes tilted inboard of the body and are connected at their free swinging ends to the lower edge portion of door 16 by ball and socket connections. The arrangement further includes an actuating or upper control arm 54 which interconnects the body and the upper edge portion of door 16, with the pivotal connections between the arm 54 and the body and the door being provided by ball and socket connections. As best shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawings, the forward end of arm 54- is pivoted to the reinforcing member 48 by a ball and socket connection 56, the details of which will now be described with particular reference to FIGURE 6 of the drawings. An angle bracket 58 is secured to member 48 by a number of bolts 60 which are threaded into caged nuts 62 to allow for some adjustment of the bracket relative to member 48. Bracket 58 is provided with a tapered bore 64 which pivotally and slidably receives the tapered shank 66 of a stud 68. The free threaded end 70` of the stud receives a nut 72 which engages a thrust washer 74 to thereby hold shank 66 within bore 64 and provide frictional resistance to movement of the shank within the bore. The other end of stud 68 is provided with a ball head 76 which is received within a socket 'i8 provided in one end of arm 54.

The ball and socket connection 80 between the other end of arm 54 and the offset 23 of plate 27 is the same as connection 56 and accordingly is not shown in detail. However, it will be understood that its bracket corresponding to bracket 58 of connection 56 is secured to otset 28 rather than to member 48. As best shown in FIG- URE 2, the forward end wall 79 and base wall of offset 36 are slotted at 81 to allow swinging movement of the arm 54 into and out of the offset when the door moves between its open and closed positions. Arm 54 mounts a laterally extending angle bracket 82, the outer leg 84 of `which is of the same size as the opening of offset 36 between wall 40 and the forward end wall 79v of the offset so that the leg 84 closes this opening when the door is in closed position.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 2 and 7 of the drawings, the pivotal connection 85 between hinge arm 50 and member 48 will be described. The forward end of arm 50 is of generally T-shape and is apertured as shown in FIGURE 7. This end of the arm is received between the apertured ears 86 of a bracket 88 and is pivotally secured thereto by a hinge pin 90. Bracket 88 is secured to member 48 by a number of bolts 92 which are threaded into caged nuts 94 mounted on the inner surface of member 48. The rear end of hinge arm 50 is secured to plate 30 by a ball and socket connection 96, the details of which are not shown since this connection is the same -as connection 56 previously described in conjunction with the actuating arm 54. The forward end wall and base wall of olset 38 are slotted in the same manner as the forward end wall and base wall of offset 36 to allow for swinging movement of arm 50 relative to member 48. As best shown in FIGURE 3, arm 50 mounts an angle bracket 97, the outer leg 98 of which is of the same size as the opening of offset 38 between the forward end wall of offset 36 and wall 40 closes this opening as shown in FIGURE 1 when door 16 is in closed position.

The forward end of hinge arm 52 is secured to the forward wall 100 of an oifset 102 by a pivotal connection 104, the details of which are not shown since this connection is the same as connection 85. Oifset 102 extends inwardly of the body from oiset 38 and opens rearwardly through wall 40. The other end of arm 52 is Secured to panel 30 adjacent the lower edge of door 16 by a ball and socket connection 10S, the details of which are not shown since connection is the same as connection 56 between hinge arm 54 and member 48. The door inner panel 20 is slotted at 106 to allow swinging movement of the hinge arms 50 and 52 relative to the door, with slot 106 being closed by a leg 108 of an angle bracket 110 secured to hinge arm S2.

The vertical axes of swinging of hinge arms 50 and 52, as dened by the hinge pins of connections and 104 are tilted generally inboard of the body so that the door 16 will swing outwardly and upwardly when moving from a closed to an open position. It will further be noted with reference to FIGURES 2 and 3 that the distance between the pivotal connections 30 and 56 of arm 54 to door 16 and to member 48, respectively, is greater than the distance between the pivotal connections 96 and 105 of arms 52 and 54, respectively, to door 16 and to their respective pivotal connections 85 and 104 to member 48 and to wall 100.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 2, 3 and 5 of the drawings, the operation of the door hinging arrangement will be described. When the door 16 is moved from a closed position to an open position, the hinge arms 50' and 52 swing outwardly and upwardly of the body about their vertically inclined hinge axes so as to move the door outwardly and upwardly as can be seen from a comparison of FIGURES 4 and 5. As the door swings in this direction, the actuating or control arm 54 pivots relative to the door and to the body about the ball and socket connections 56 and 80 thereto. Since the arm 54 is longer than either arms 50 or 52, it will cause the door to pivot or tilt outwardly with respect to the body about a horizontal axis through the pivot connections 96 and 105 of hinge arms 50 and 52 thereto so that the door will be located in a fully open position as shown in FIGURE 5. A comparison of FIGURES 4 and 5 will clearly show the manner in which the door is tilted outboard of the body when in the fully open position thereof.

By thus bodily moving the door to the open position thereof and simultaneously tilting the door outboard of the body, it can be seen that there is no possibility of interference between the forward edge of the door and the rear edge of panel 34 when the door is moved to the open position thereof. Further, since the door is tilted outboard of the body, the entrance and exit room of the body is greatly increased when the door is in the open position thereof.

Thus, this invention provides a new and improved door hinging arrangement.

I claim:

1. Hinge means rior mounting a closure member on a body member for movement of the closure member between open and closed positions with respect to the body member comprising, in combination, a pair of binge arms swinfgably mounted on said body member for coplanar movement about parallel vertical axes, universal joint means pivotally connecting said hinge arms to said closure member to bodily move said colsure member between said open and closed positions, said connecting means permitting simultaneous piovtal movement of said closure member relative to said hinge arms about both horizontal and vertical axes during movement of said closure member, pivotal movement of said closure member about said horizontal axis permitting said closure member to swing inboard and outboard with `respect to said body member, and a control arm pivotally interconnecting said closure member and said body member and controlling pivotal movement of said closure member about said horizontal axis `during bodily movement `of said closure member between said positions thereof to thereby control movement of said closure member inboard and outboard with respect to said body member.

2. Hinge means for mounting a closure member on a body member `for movement of the closure member between open and closed positions with respect to the body member comprising, in combination, a pair of hinge arms swingably mounted zon said body member for coplanar movement about .generally parallel vertical axes, universal joint means pivotally connecting said hinge arms to said closure member to bodily move said closure member between said open and closed positions, said connecting means permitting simultaneous pivotal movement of said closure member relative to said hinge arms about both horizontal and vertical axes during movement of said clos-ure member, pivotal movement of said closure member about said horizontal axis permitting said closure member to swing inboard and outboard with respect to said .body member, and a control arm pivotally interconnecting said closure member and said body member and controlling pivotal movement of said closure member about said horizontal axis during bodily movement of said closure member between said positions thereof to thereby control movement of said closure inboard and outboard with respect to said body member, the distance between the pivotal connections of said control arm to said closure member and to said body member being .greater than the distance between the pivotal connections of either 'of said hinge arms to said closure member and to said body member.

3. Hinge means `for mounting a closure member on a body member for movement of the closure member between open and closed positions with respect to the body member comprising, in combination, a pair of hinge v arms swinga-bly mounted on said body member, a pair of pivotal connecting means, one for each of said hinge arms for mounting said closure member on said hinge arms for bodily movement between said open and closed positions, said connecting means permitting simultaneous pivotal movements of said closure member relative to said ihnge arms about a common horizontal axis extending through both said connecting means and vertical axes extending through each of said connecting means during movement of said closure member, pivotal movement of said closure member about said horizontal axis permitting said closure member to*v swing inboard and outboard with respect to said body member, and means interconnecting said closure member and said body member and controlling pivotal movement of said closure member about said horizontal axis during bodily movement of said clos-ure member between said positions thereof to thereby control movement of said closure member inboard and outboard with respect to said body member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 694,432 Selleck Mar. 4, 1902 1,050,422 Birchwood Jan. 14, :1913 1,908,831 IEdward May 16, 1933 2,178,908 Hudson Nov. 7, 1939 2,564,988 Muller Ang. 21, 1951 2,632,917 Schwering Mar. 31, 1953 2,763,900 McAfee et al. Sept. 25, 1956 2,956,836 James et al. Oct. 18, 1960 2,992,851 4Barenyi July 18, 1961 

3. HINGE MEANS FOR MOUNTING A CLOSURE MEMBER ON A BODY MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT OF THE CLOSURE MEMBER BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE BODY MEMBER COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A PAIR OF HINGE ARMS SWINGABLY MOUNTED ON SAID BODY MEMBER, A PAIR OF PIVOTAL CONNECTING MEANS, ONE FOR EACH OF SAID HINGE ARMS FOR MOUNTING SAID CLOSURE MEMBER ON SAID HINGE ARMS FOR BODILY MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS, SAID CONNECTING MEANS PERMITTING SIMULTANEOUS PIVOTAL MOVEMENTS OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER RELATIVE TO SAID HINGE ARMS ABOUT A COMMON HORIZONTAL AXIS EXTENDING THROUGH BOTH SAID CONNECTING MEANS AND VERTICAL AXES EXTENDING THROUGH EACH OF SAID CONNECTING MEANS DURING MOVEMENT OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER, PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER ABOUT SAID HORIZONTAL AXIS PERMITTING SAID CLOSURE MEMBER TO SWING INBOARD AND OUTBOARD WITH RESPECT TO SAID BODY MEMBER, AND MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID CLOSURE MEMBER AND SAID BODY MEMBER AND CONTROLLING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER ABOUT SAID HORIZONTAL AXIS DURING BODILY MOVEMENT OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER BETWEEN SAID POSITIONS THEREOF TO THEREBY CONTROL MOVEMENT OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER INBOARD AND OUTBOARD WITH RESPECT TO SAID BODY MEMBER. 